Netherlands East Indies (West Freisland) VOC 1790 Silver Guilder

1787 Overdate NITIMUT legend error KM# 139 good EF

Obverse: Liberty standing with staff, date below and legend around. NITIMUT legend error, 1790/87 overdate

Reverse: Coronate shield within denomination, legend around

It's always amazing to see that VOC balemark on one of these coins.

The United Provinces of the Netherlands was, in a sense, the world's first modern state. It was a republic dominated by middle-class burghers rather than a dynastic monarchy. Winning independence from Spain in 1581, the Netherlands became a major seafaring power. During the seventeenth century, Amsterdam emerged as Europe's primary centre for commerce and banking. Largely Protestant and Calvinist, the new state, unlike Portugal, did not reflect the crusading values of the European Middle Ages.

A four-ship Dutch fleet entered Indonesian waters in 1596, visiting Banten on the western tip of Java as well as north-coast Javanese ports and returning home with a profitable cargo of spices. There followed a few years of "wild" or unregulated voyages when several Dutch trading concerns sent out ships to the islands. In 1602, however, these companies merged to form the United East India Company (VOC) under a charter issued by the Dutch parliament, the Staten-Generaal.

The early history of European exploration of Australia is inextricably linked with the expansion of the powerful Dutch East India Company, the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC). The VOC established a trade network throughout Asia seeking rare spices, exotic textiles and new markets for their goods. Trade between Europe and Asia was a profitable enterprise.

Fuelled by the growing myths about the treasures that awaited them in the huge unknown continent in the South, the VOC equipped several expeditions in their search for profit. However, instead of wealth, the VOC found tragedy when the first ships were wrecked on the dangerous west coast of Australia.

The spices and trade goods of the East Indies (the area occupied largely by present-day Indonesia) were a magnet for European and American merchants and seafarers long before Australia was discovered by the British.

This particular guilder was struck for the West Friesland VOC company and has two errors on the obverse - the last letter that should be seen in the legend (an R) has been substituted for a T, and the last 2 digits in the date (90) have been struck over others (87).

This is a high-quality representation of the expanding VOC empire and the challenges the Dutch mints faced in keeping pace with their demand for coinage.

SKU: 207538